The LIFE ZEPAURBAN project, which has amongst its principle objectives the adoption of measures that will ensure the conservation of the lesser kestrel in the urban areas of Extremadura in which it lives, and that these measures can be transferable to the rest of Europe, has started a round of presentations to show the development of work on the creation of a tourism product based on the potential of this species, which is catalogued as threatened because of alteration of its habitat.
Cáceres, Plasencia, Zafra, Trujillo and Jerez de los Caballeros are the places where, with pilot projects, work is being done to develop the tourism product “Lesser Kestrel in Extremadura”, being five of the 19 urban Special Protection Areas for birds (SPAs) in Extremadura declared as such because of the presence of lesser kestrels, a totally innovative listing because it is the only example in the world of a form of environmental protection being designated to a building or group of buildings because of their biodiversity value.
The presentations are directed to a wide range of professionals, bodies and associations, public and private, linked in one way or another with tourism: official tourist guides, accommodation, businesses offering active or complementary tourism, birding guides, restaurants, information offices, centres for tourism initiatives, businesses based on art, recreation, crafts and gastronomy….During these presentations, the participants will receive details of the LIFE ZEPAURBAN project, discovering the characteristics that make lesser kestrels so special, amongst which is their nesting in urban areas, and will receive information on the process that is being developed for the formation of the tourism product “Lesser Kestrel in Extremadura”. The process will culminate next autumn, with the production of a catalogue which brings together the experiences on offer for each of the locations, created to share the tourism resources that each has (heritage, artistic, cultural, gastronomic, environment..) and with the lesser kestrel as the common thread.
The creation of this tourism product is promoted by the General Directorate of Tourism of the Government of Extremadura, as a partner in the LIFE ZEPAURBAN project, led by the General Directorate of the Environment and in which is also participating the General Directorate of Libraries, Museums and Cultural Heritage, INTROMAC, DEMA, Terra Naturalis, Laruinagrafica S.L. and Prefabricados Extremadura 2002 S.L.
